Multiway waveguide switch



United States Patent 3,243,733 MULTIWAY WAVEGUIDE SWITCH Donald A. Hosman, Hampton, N.H., assignor, by mesne assignments, to the United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army Filed June 3, 1964, Ser. No. 372,430 6 Claims. (Cl. 3337) This invention relates to a waveguide switch for connecting any one of a multiplicity of inputs to an output and at the same time provide for attenuation of each of the remaining inputs with a matched load.

In the Waveguide art, a need has arisen for a waveguide switch which is capable of connecting any one of three or more inputs to an output and at the same time provide load means to attenuate the signals at the inputs that are not being used.

Therefore, it is an object of this invention to provide a waveguide switch that has three inputs, one output, and means for connecting any one of the inputs to the output as desired.

Another object of this invention is to provide load means in a rotary member of a waveguide switch to attenuate the signals at the inputs that are not being used.

A further object of this invention is to provide a compact waveguide switch having a novel configuration which achieves a high degree of isolation and prevents undesirable signal leakage in the desired transmission path.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a three way waveguide switch.

In accordance with this invention, a new waveguide switch is provided that includes a housing which has a cylindrical chamber with a plurality of input ports and a single output port opening into said chamber. A cylindrical rotary member is mounted in the chamber of the housing, and a plurality of channels in the cylindrical member connect the desired input port to the output port while loads mounted in the cylindrical member attenuate the signals at the input ports not in use to prevent undesirable signal leakage into the channel which connects said desired input port to the output port.

In the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification, and in which like numerals are employed to designate corresponding parts throughout the same:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view illustrating an actuator arrangernent for the rotary control member of a Waveguide switch,

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view taken on line 2-2 of FIGURE 1 and partially cut away,

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view of a waveguide switch according to the invention with the rotary control member being illustrated in a first position,

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view similar to FIGURE 3, but illustrating the rotary control member in a second position, and

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view similar to FIGURES 3 and 4, but illustrating the rotary control member in a third position.

In the drawing, wherein for the purpose of illustration is shown a preferred embodiment of my invention, numeral 1 designates a waveguide switch that includes a housing 3 and a cylindrical rotary control member 5. Housing 3 has three input ports 7, 9 and 11 which open into a cylindrical chamber 13 in housing 3. An output port 15 also opens into a cylindrical chamber 13, and rotary control member 5 is rotatably mounted in cylindrical chamber 13.

Rotary control member 5 has a straight through passage or channel 17 for connecting input port 9 with output port 15, and a curved passage or channel 19 for connecting either of input ports 7 and 11 to output port 15. Four load or attenuating members 21, 23, 25, and 27 are mount- 3,243,733 Patented Mar. 29, 1966 ed in rotary control member 5 and are so positioned in the rotary control member as to cover the input ports not connected by the appropriate channel. With good quality fabrication techniques, isolation of greater than 60 db between input ports can be expected.

By using loads made of iron loaded epoxy, the VSWR in the terminated inputs should be less than 1.05 over a 2.5% band and less than 1.12 over a 15% hand.

A handle 29 is connected to a stem portion 31 of the rotary control member in a conventional manner, and indicating numerals 33 on the housing and pointer 35 on the handle indicate which input is connected with the output. Adjustable limit stops 37 may be provided to limit the arc of rotation of the rotary control member and to accurately align channel 17 with input port 9 and output port 15.

In operation, handle 29 is rotated to the position desired to connect the desired input port with the output port, and the two signals at the remaining two input ports are attenuated by the load means in the rotary control member as illustrated in FIGURES 3, 4, and 5.

It is to be understood that the form of my invention, herewith shown and described, is to be taken as a preferred example only, and that various changes in the size, shape and arrangement of parts may be resorted to, without departing from the spirit of my invention or the scope of the subjoined claims.

I claim:

1. A three way waveguide switch including: a housing having three input ports and one output port; a rotary control member mounted in said housing, said control member having passage means for connecting any one of said input ports with said output port; and load means mounted in said control member so as to terminate the input ports not connected to the output port by said passage means and thereby attenuating input signals at said input ports not connected to the output port.

2. A three way waveguide switch as set forth in claim 1, wherein said input ports, said output port and said passage means are located in a common plane through said housing, and said input ports and said output port are symmetrically positioned about said housing.

3. A three way waveguide switch as set forth in claim 1, wherein said load means is made of iron loaded epoxy.

4. A three way waveguide switch as set forth in claim 1, wherein said passage means includes a straight through passage for connecting a first one of said input ports to said output port, and a curved passage means for connecting either of the other two input ports to the output port.

5. A multiway waveguide switch including: a housing having at least three input ports and at least one output port means; a rotary control member mounted in said housing, said control member having pass-age means for connecting said input ports with said output port means as desired; and load means mounted in said control member for blocking and attenuating input signals at the input ports that are not communicated to the output port means by said passage means.

6. A multiway waveguide switch including: a housing having a chamber therein; at least four communication ports symmetrically positioned about said housing and in communication with said chamber therein; a rotary control member within said chamber and having passage means therethrough with outlets at the ends thereof; said rotary control member having recesses therein spaced from said outlets; wave absorbing means in said recesses forming matched impedance termination means for each port adjacent each absorbing means; means for rotating said rotary control member relative to said housing; and said passage means and said recesses being so arranged relative to each other that any one of at least three of said ports may be communicated with the remaining port while signals at the remaining of said at least three ports are terminated by said matched impedance termination means.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,119,974 1/1964 Zavesky 33398 4 FOREIGN PATENTS 602,303 7/ 1960 Canada. 1,069,716 11/1959 Germany.

730,219 5/1955 Great Britain.

ELI LIEBERMAN, Acting Primary Examiner.

L. ALLAHUT, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A THREE WAY WAVEGUIDE SWITCH INCLUDING: A HOUSING HAVING THREE INPUT PORTS AND ONE OUTPUT PORT; A ROTARY CONTROL MEMBER MOUNTED IN SAID HOUSING, SAID CONTROL MEMBER HAVING PASSAGE MEANS FOR CONNECTING ANY ONE OF SAID INPUT PORTS WITH SAID OUTPUT PORT; AND LOAD MEANS MOUNTED IN SAID CONTROL MEMBER SO AS TO TERMINATE THE INPUT PORTS NOT CONNECTED TO THE OUTPUT PORT BY SAID PASSAGE MEANS AND THEREBY ATTENUATING INPUT SIGNALS AT SAID INPUT PORTS NOT CONNECTED TO THE OUTPUT PORT. 